Penguins Run Loose in the Art Museum

By Lindsay Inglis

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City remains closed to the public due to Covid-19, however, they were able to open their doors to a few special guests. The Museum let a family of penguins run loose around the gallery, looking at all the artworks on display. The Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Kansas City Zoo posted videos on May 14th documenting the penguins field trip.

With the lack of visitors coming to the zoo, the staff could tell that just like humans the animals were going stir crazy and missed their visitors. They thought of new ways to enrich the penguins’ day to day lives and decided that a field trip was in order. Randy Wisthoff, Executive Director and CEO of the zoo, said that he “was happy to visit and the penguins absolutely loved it.”

Julian Zugazagoitia, Executive Director and CEO of the Museum, was thrilled to welcome the penguins and zoo staff to the Museum. He was able to see how the penguins responded to the various types of art in the Museum and concluded that the penguins “seemed to react much better to Caravaggio than to Monet.” As these were Peruvian penguins the Museum staff talked to them in Spanish, which they believe was much appreciated.

With the help of zoo staff, during lockdown the penguins at the Kansas City Zoo are discovering new interests, such as an appreciation for baroque art. They have found the cure for their lockdown boredom. Just as the penguins waddling through the Museum, we can discover new interests and hobbies to help get us through this turbulent time.